


The Power of the Speaker

by YIMA



Series: Steady and Petunia [2]
Category: HILLARY CLINTON - Fandom, Nancy Pelosi - Fandom, Political RPF - US 21st c.
Genre: 2020 US Presidential Election, Alternative Universe - Politics, F/F, Femslash, Power Dynamics, Romance, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 10:52:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19375246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YIMA/pseuds/YIMA
Summary: Nancy demonstrates how awesome the power of the Speaker is.





	The Power of the Speaker

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Among the Redwoods](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18318215) by [YIMA](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YIMA/pseuds/YIMA). 



Moments like these were rare. Normally, she was on the go, completing a schedule so long that it would make Superman blush. But she wanted to pack it all in this time; to make sure she’d have no regrets when it was over. She never thought about the intensity of it. Too much introspection was a waste. The country was in crisis, and she could keep it afloat. After all, the power of the Speaker was awesome, even while lying under the covers with her phone to her ear, heart warmed by the person on the other end. ~~~~

“Steady,” Nancy whispered so softly that she could barely hear it herself. She had a cold, although she refused to slow down her schedule. She’d just come back from France to mark the 75 th anniversary of D-Day.

“Petunia,” Hillary whispered back, lying down in her Whitehaven bed. Bill had gone to Kosovo, and Hillary stayed behind, needing the silence.

Neither said anything. They just lay there, listening to each other breathe, cherishing every exhale. Hillary rolled over, head planted firmly on her pillow, fingers combing through her hair. She was wearing glasses. No socks. A housedress. The world and all its vastness had faded away. There was just them, knit together in a love so secret that the thread was invisible.

“I dreamed about you,” Nancy whispered, pressing the mattress beside her. She wanted Hillary there. “We were walking around Normandy.”

Hillary smiled for the first time in days. “Oh?”

“We held hands,” Nancy whispered. “It was lovely.”

Hillary rolled over, her percale sheets sounding louder in the silence. “I dream about you all the time.”

“Oh?”

“Mmhmm. It’s always the same dream.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“It’s weird, Pet.”

“Try me,” Nancy said, excited about the plot. “You know nothing is weirder than that aberration in the White House.”

“That’s the truth,” Hillary said, taking a breath. She stared at the ceiling for a while, saying nothing. Nancy knew her better than anyone did, but she was still apprehensive when showing her secret parts. “We’re usually sitting on a blanket by the ocean.”

“The Pacific?”

“Seems like it.”

Nancy grinned and closed her eyes. “San Francisco.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Heaven on earth.”

Hillary sighed, the landscape in her mind. “We don’t say anything. We just sit there watching the waves.” Hillary paused for a moment. “Then the ocean turns red, and when I look over, you’re gone.” Hillary swallowed. “Just gone.”

The dream moved her, but Nancy didn’t want to get emotional. “I’m ten minutes away, Steady.”

“Oh, Nancy.”

“You could come.”

“I couldn’t.”

“Then I could go there.”

“Nancy,” Hillary said, thinking about the logistics. The media had been trailing her for weeks, expecting her to announce her candidacy. A visit from the Speaker would only fuel those rumors and put a closer eye on them both. “They’re here,” she simply said.

“Still?”

Hillary nodded before she said, “More every day.”

“Vipers,” Nancy scoffed. She was always protective of her girl. “Then come here.”

“I can’t.”

“There’s no media here.”

“I can’t go anywhere alone, Petunia. You know that.”

Unable to accept no for an answer, Nancy closed her eyes. “Then let’s change the dream.”

“That’s—” Hillary shook her head. “That’s not possible, honey.”

“The power of the Speaker is awesome, Steady. _Awesome_.”

Hillary grinned.

“We’re at the ocean,” Nancy said, making them both imagine. “Sitting on a blanket.”

“A fleece blanket,” Hillary interjected.

“Fleece,” Nancy said, quirking her eyebrows. “Good choice for the cold temperature.”

Hillary grinned.

“And…and we’re eating chocolate.”

“Can we make that cake instead?”

“ _Chocolate_ cake?”

“Of course,” Hillary said. “No other cake matters.”

Nancy giggled, agreeing thoroughly. “Chocolate cake it is, darling.” She took a breath, pressing her lips together. “And we’re alone.”

Hillary closed her eyes, imagining.

“We can hear the waves crashing along the shore. We can smell the ocean.”

Hillary opened her lips a bit, tasting the spray.

***

They sat on the beach, no one else in sight. Below them was a blue fleece blanket. Before them were two slices of chocolate cake.

Unmoved by the new setting, Nancy quickly picked a slice and excitedly took a bite.

“Nancy?” Hillary asked, startled.

“Hmm?”

Hillary looked around, the ocean spray on her lips, the seagulls above her head, Nancy, her beloved, next to her devouring the biggest piece of cake she’d ever seen. “How did—?”

“The power of the Speaker is awesome,” Nancy mumbled. She was demure enough to cover her mouth as she said it, but then she leaned in and kissed Hillary’s cheek, leaving a tiny trail of chocolate behind.

“We’re alone.”

Nancy nodded, setting the cake down.

“We can do anything.”

Nancy grabbed her hand, her thumb rubbing Hillary’s palm. “Anything.”

The two faced each other, Hillary’s hand on Nancy’s cheek, Nancy’s hand on Hillary’s hip.

“If I can’t come to you, and you can’t come to me, then this is our best option.”

Hillary was so touched that she could barely formulate words. Teary, she finally said, “I’d stay here forever if I could, Petunia.”

Nancy smiled, her heart thumping harder than usual. She wished they could stay forever too, walking the shore with her lover, living life without the secret. Their times of stolen moments and sneaking calls would be a thing of the past. She had gotten so used to unsigned cards and unmarked gifts that she dreaded ever seeing a return address. But if they could stay there forever—right there by the ocean—everything would be okay.

She leaned in and kissed Hillary’s lips, a breeze enveloping them like a shawl. Hillary placed her hands on Nancy’s cheeks, her fingers gently caressing the older woman’s ears.

“I love you,” Hillary said.

Nancy placed both hands on Hillary’s hips, loving how delicious they were. “I love you more.”

They kissed again, so slowly and so passionately that the sky circled above them, the women being its center point. The blue faded away and left countless stars in its wake. The women felt each other’s skin more palpably, the contact covering years of denial and desperation, heartbreak and longing. And suddenly—

***

Nancy emerged from under the covers, searching for her ringing cellphone. “Steady,” she said, fumbling with the landline. “Steady, hold on…”

Hillary saw that the ocean waves had turned red. She looked over, and Nancy was gone.

“Pelosi,” Nancy answered. She closed her eyes while listening to another problem caused by the occupant of the White House. “That’s unacceptable.”

Hillary stood up on the beach, the feeling of aloneness permeating her entire body. She folded the fleece blanket as she looked around, needing to do something to keep the ache at bay.

“Keep me posted,” Nancy said before hanging up the phone. She quickly reached for the landline. “Steady?”

Not hearing her, Hillary walked along the shore, that terrible dream having become reality.

“Steady, are you there?” Nancy said again, hoping she hadn’t hung up.

Hillary opened her eyes, the phone still to her ear. “Petunia?”

“Steady,” Nancy said, getting back under the covers. “I’m sorry, darling; Terri called. I can’t get a moment’s peace without that buffoon attempting global destruction at every turn.”

“Were you there?” Hillary asked, almost afraid to. Was she crazy? Had she made the whole thing up? It couldn’t’ve been real.

“Of course,” Nancy said, grinning under the covers.

“No, I mean,” Hillary said, shaking her head without finishing her sentence. Yep, she was crazy. There was nothing logical about—

“At the ocean, Steady. We were there together, and unfortunately, I didn’t get to finish my cake. My lips were too busy kissing yours. A fair trade if you ask me.”

“How did you do that?” Hillary asked. She certainly had a spiritual life, but teleportation was not a part of it. She pinched her skin, and thankfully for her mental health, it hurt.

Nancy grinned. “What did I tell you about the power of the Speaker?”

Hillary grinned, calming, more in love with Nancy than ever before. “That it’s awesome, Petunia.”

“ _Awesome_ ,” Nancy repeated.


End file.
